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More than 35 filmmakers linked to Mubi, the platform and distributor of auteur cinema, signed a letter demanding that it break ties with an investment company in Israel’s genocidal military industry. Among the artists the names of Aki Kaurismäki, Radu Jude, Joshua Oppenheimer and Miguel Gomes stand out.
By Pedro Pallero
At the end of May, Mubi announced a $100 million investment from Silicon Valley company Sequoia Capital. A company with close relations with the Israeli military industry, especially due to its participation in Kela, a defense technology startup created in July 2024 by former members of Israeli intelligence units. Kela develops combat operations systems based on artificial intelligence and commercial technology, in the midst of the military offensive in Gaza.
Art crossed by genocide
A few days ago we learned about the murder of Awdah Hathaleen, recognized for her participation in the Oscar-winning documentary, No Other Land, by Israeli settler Yinon Levi in the West Bank.
At the same time, more artists are taking a strong position in the defense of the Palestinian people. Actions such as that of Residente, who decides not to play at events financed by a company linked to the genocide or the IDLES band that flies the flag of Palestine and wears watermelon T-shirts wherever he goes.
In the case of cinema, in the letter, the filmmakers denounce that “the financial growth of Mubi as a company is now explicitly linked to the genocide in Gaza, which implies all of us who work with Mubi.” The artists — who have released films through the platform or participated in projects distributed by it – consider it incompatible for a space dedicated to arthouse cinema to collaborate with a firm “involved in the murder of Palestinian artists and filmmakers.”
Therefore, they demanded that Mubi meet the demands of the Film Workers for Palestine network, which brings together more than 9,000 professionals in the sector, and comply with three key measures:
- Publicly condemn Sequoia Capital for “profiting from genocide.”
- Remove Sequoia partner Andrew Reed from Mubi’s board of directors.
- Implement an ethical policy for future investments and respect the guidelines of the PACBI (Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel).
Art cannot be neutral in the face of a genocide broadcast live, it has to denounce it with its art and with its voice. That is why we celebrate actions such as those that have been developing and we call to be more and more.
We share below the letter and the signatures:
Dear Mubi leadership,
We write as filmmakers who have a professional relationship to Mubi to express our serious concern regarding Mubi’s decision to accept $100 million in funding from Sequoia Capital, a private equity firm that, since late 2023 has chosen to double down on investing in Israeli military technology companies with the goal of profiting from the Gazan genocide. In 2024, Sequoia heavily invested in Kela, a military tech startup founded by a former senior manager of Palantir Israel and multiple Israeli military intelligence veterans, as well as military drone manufacturer Neros, and the unmanned aerial vehicle manufacture, Mach Industries.
Mubi’s financial growth as a company is now explicitly tied to the genocide in Gaza, which implicates all of us that work with Mubi. We too believe that cinema can be powerful. And we know that we can’t always control how audiences will respond to our work, and whether or not it will move and inspire them. But we can control how our work reflects our values and commitments—ones that are wholly ignored when our work is brought into alliance with a genocide-profiteering private equity firm.
Gaza is enduring mass civilian killings, including of journalists, artists, and film workers, alongside the widespread destruction of Palestinian cultural sites and heritage. We don’t believe an arthouse film platform can meaningfully support a global community of cinephiles while also partnering with a company invested in murdering Palestinian artists and filmmakers.
We approach our work with care for the people and communities they represent, and the audiences who will watch it, because as artists we are accountable to more than the bottom line. Yet Mubi’s decision to partner with Sequoia demonstrates a total lack of accountability to the artists and communities who have helped the company flourish. We believe that it is our ethical duty to do no harm. We expect our partners, at a minimum, to refuse to be complicit in the horrific violence being waged against Palestinians.
We ask you to heed the call made by Film Workers for Palestine and take action that meaningfully responds to the artists and the audiences who are such an integral part of Mubi’s success.
Yours sincerely
Aki Kaurismäki
Radu Jude
Jessica Beshir
Joshua Oppenheimer
Robert Greene
Kazik Radwanski
Carson Lund
Michael Basta
Nate Fisher
Blake Williams
Iva Radivojevic
Nina Menkes
Ben Rivers
Bingham Bryant
Kit Zauhar
Ian Edlund
Sarah Friedland
Kathleen Chalfant
Miguel Gomes
Constance Tsang
Truong Minh Quy
Deragh Campbell
Laura Huertas
John Smith
Andrea Luka Zimmerman
Cherien Dabis
Tyler Taormina
Erik Lund
Maureen Fazendeiro
Levan Akin
Courtney Stephens
Eric Baudelaire
Camilo Restrepo
Teddy Williams
Nahuel Perez Biscayart
Jussi Vatanen
Neo Sora
Sofia Bohdanowicz
